There was great confusion, even to the end of the
19th century, between Stock Doves,
Feral Pigeons and Rock Doves. A century ago the range of this species over England and parts
of Wales is likely to have been very much the same as now. However there are none in the
Highlands and Islands of Scotland and there is some evidence that it spread rapidly northwards in
the last 30 years of the 19th century. The birds are still sparsely distributed through parts of
Ireland and here, also, they seem to have colonised and expanded as arable farming altered the
living conditions in their favour. A steep decline in numbers, coinciding with the use of chemical
seed-dressings in the 1950s, was reversed by the late 1960s and the birds are continuing to do well
in arable areas although they have disappeared from many peripheral areas.
Modern agriculture does not yet seem to be a problem for this
species.